Reassurences
by Oppy
Summary: FKS#9 Even the best of us need reassurences sometimes *complete*


Disclaimer: Unless we're in the time of the chicken flavored candy, I do not own Harry Potter. If we are in the time of the chicken flavored candy, then we have problems bigger than disclaimers to deal with. Trust me.  
  
A/N I know there are a lot of fics where Hermione reassures Ron that he's worth it and so on, and while I happen to be big fans of these fics (Ron love for life!), I decided to turn the table a bit. ~~~~ It was a clear Autumn afternoon, more sunny than usual. Harry and Ron were outside by the lake, discussing they're favorite sport, Quidditch, among other. . . things.  
  
"I just don't get it Harry! Why would she spend this beautiful Saturday afternoon inside studying for NOTHING. It's not like we've got a test coming up or anything."  
  
"You've been her friend for almost five years now, I'd think you'd be used to this. It's Hermione after all."  
  
"Yeah, but it's so frustrating sometimes. It's not like she needs to study so much, she smart enough as it is."  
  
Harry turned his head and grinned at his friend. The two of them were lying on the grass, their hands behind their heads. Ron turned his head towards Harry and noticed his grin.  
  
"What?"  
  
Harry returned his gaze towards the sky. "Ron, how long are you going to keep this up?"  
  
"What exactly am I 'keeping up' pray tell?"  
  
"C'mon, I'm your best friend, you can't hide this sort of thing from me."  
  
"What sort of thing?!" Ron asked, but a distinct blush had started to show. He should have given up there, he knew. But he didn't. "Harry, I don't know what your going on about."  
  
"Fine, you won't say it, I will. You obviously fancy Hermione." Ron tried to argue, but Harry cut him off "Don't bother denying it, you did enough of that last year, I think. Just talk to her Ron. Like when you said she's smart enough already, that's the sort of thing you should be telling her."  
  
Ron lifted himself onto his elbows, and turned his head to once again face Harry. Well, this was certainly. . . interesting.  
  
"Since when did you become mister suave?" Harry smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Haven't I always been?" He asked with a chuckle. Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, sure Harry, whatever you say."  
  
***  
  
It was only around dinner time when the two went back inside, stomachs rumbling. They hurried their way into the Great Hall and over to their fellow Gryffindors. They scanned the table for a sign of Hermione, but she wasn't there.  
  
"Perhaps she's still in the library. You know how she is." Ron said. Harry nodded and sat down across from Dean, Ron settling beside him.  
  
Everyone ate rather leisurely dinner. With the exception of Ron. . .  
  
"Whoa, slow down there mate! Are you in a hurry or something?" Harry asked, watching Ron practically inhaling his food. He sort of resembled Hermione in fourth year, while she was doing her research on elf rights.  
  
"Just hungry." Ron said between bites. Harry just shook his head, smiling a little. When Ron had finished (the rest weren't even half done), he got up, grabbing a jam tart in the process, and headed for the doors.  
  
"Hey! Where're you going?" Harry called to Ron's retreating back.  
  
"Library!" Ron replied over his shoulder. Like anyone expected anything different.  
  
***  
  
Ron made it to the library, and even managed to sneak by Madame Pince with the dessert [A/N or pudding. . . whatever!] in his hand. Just as he had suspected, he found Hermione in a far corner of the library, reading a huge book, as per usual. He went up to the table, pulled up a chair and sat across from her. She didn't even stir.  
  
"Pssst. Hermione." He hissed, grinning. She looked up, slightly annoyed. Then, much to Ron's surprise, she smirked.  
  
"Ron. What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at dinner?"  
  
"Shouldn't you, for that matter?" He placed the jam tart on the table. "Thought you might be hungry."  
  
Hermione smiled almost shyly and took it. "Oh. . . thanks."  
  
"So really, why weren't you at dinner?"  
  
"I had to study-"  
  
"Study? Hermione, what are you studying for?"  
  
"Just because I haven't got any tests, doesn't mean it don't need to study. I should learn more."  
  
"No, you shouldn't Hermione. Why do you insist on 'learning more' all the time when your smart enough as it is!" Ron stopped. That sounded a little harsh to his ears, somehow, and he felt the need to elaborate. "What I mean is, your already perfect. . .ly intelligent. Yeah, perfectly intelligent."  
  
*Bravo, you idiot. Bravo.* Ron felt that ever so familiar blush creeping up on him. Hermione hadn't seemed to notice the slip up at all, thankfully.  
  
"No Ron, I'm really not. I suppose I am smart, but I could be smarter."  
  
"But why do you feel like you have to be?" Ron asked.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." Hermione looked back down at her book.  
  
"Well I do!"  
  
"Just forget it, ok?"  
  
"No. Mione, answer me." Ron persisted. Hermione reluctantly raised her head and looked at Ron.  
  
"Fine. You want to know? I'll tell you. My intelligence is all I have Ron. I'm not beautiful, I'm not even pretty. I'm not fun, or exciting, or interesting, or popular. All I have are my books and my grades. Happy now?" Before Ron could really register what she'd said, she had gotten up and stormed out of the library.  
  
This was definitely new to Ron. Hermione had always seemed so sure of herself. She didn't seem the type to care about such superficial things. But then again, as Ron reminded himself, Hermione was a teenage girl, and what teenage girl didn't have insecurities? What teenager in general didn't have insecurities?  
  
*Should I go after her? No, I can't. I don't know what to do, what to say. No, I'll just. . . blimey she's probably crying by now. But she'll get over it. Oh bloody hell, who am I kidding?* And with that, Ron got up and headed for the doors.  
  
***  
  
"Mione?" Ron knocked gently on the door to the girls dormitories. None of the Gryffindors were up from dinner yet.  
  
"Can you please just leave me alone?" Hermione pleaded. She didn't even sound angry, or annoyed.  
  
"No." Ron answered simply. "Now open the damn door before I break it down."  
  
He heard a brief shuffling inside, followed by a click, and the door opened a crack.  
  
"Well, can't I come in?"  
  
"This is the girls dorms Ron. It's against the rules."  
  
"And when has that ever stopped me? And besides, you came into our dorm in third year." He opened the door wider, and gently pushed Hermione aside.  
  
"What if someone comes back up? What would they think, seeing the two of us here, alone together. . ." she trailed off, realizing the implication a little late. Ron wisely ignored the statement, and sat on the edge of Hermione's bed.  
  
" Hermione, I. . .well, I'm not sure how to put this. . .You're really. . .What I mean to say is you . . ."He nervously raked his hand through his red hair. Hermione sat beside him, looking down at the carpet. Ron took a breath. This shouldn't be so hard. After all, he had, in the past, reassured Harry, hadn't he? It wasn't a big deal, complimenting a friend. But there was that annoying thought in the back of his head that kept repeating the words "She'll know of your feelings, she'll know of your feelings".  
  
"Ok, let me start that again." Hermione looked up at him, meeting his eyes. It made him uncomfortable, but he wouldn't look away. "Mione, you were wrong. I know that's not something your used to hearing," Hermione giggled nervously "but it's true. You have so much to offer, much more than just your intelligence."  
  
"You're just saying that because you have to. You're my best friend, what else would you say?" Hermione huffed, but Ron shook his head.  
  
"That's not true! You're like this wonderful, amazing, brilliant person. I don't even want to think about where Harry and I would be without you."  
  
"Yeah, thanks to my intelligence, which is what I've been getting at! I'm still just boring, ugly old Hermione-"  
  
"Hey, I don't want to hear you say that again, ok? I'll be the first to admit that you can do with a little lightening up, but that's alright. And you are exciting and interesting and-" Ron stopped abruptly. Should he? Well, he'd gone this far, right? "Hermione, you are pretty. You may not look like Fleur or Lavender or any of those types, but why would you want to look like them? Your gorgeous the way you are, whether anyone else has noticed it yet or not, I have."  
  
Well. If Ron had felt awkward before. . .this was too much.  
  
"Look, I just wanted to assure you that you really don't have to change. You're perfect the way you-" He never go to finish, for at that moment, Hermione had pressed her lips on his, and for the next 5 seconds everything stopped (including Ron's heart. Either that or it was going a mile a second. Either way. . .). She pulled away, and smiled.  
  
"Thank you Ron. Really. That. . . that meant a lot."  
  
"Anytime, if it means getting that sort of reaction." Ron replied in his usual Ron manner. Hermione swatted his arm.  
  
Just then, they heard a group of voices from downstairs, and they quickly hurried out of the room to go find Harry. They had a lot to inform him about, apparently. 


End file.
